College Navigator, the Department's Web site for information for students and families about colleges, has been named by Money magazine as "the best first screen" for researching colleges. It was cited in the magazine's Dec. 4 issue naming the 28 top Web sites in seven categories, one of which was college search tools.

In addition, Money points out that the Navigator, unlike many other college search tools, is not tied to a marketing department seeking students' personal information. The magazine also credits the site for being "one of the simplest to use," for having "a good comparison tool," and for providing "a full set of the latest data on expenses, aid, enrollment, admission and graduation rates, majors, along with a Google map pinpointing location."

In addition to the characteristics cited by Money, College Navigator also allows users to modify and fine-tune criteria without starting over, to build a list of favorites, and to search by such specifics as distance from home, intercollegiate athletic programs and size of school, to name a few. For adult learners, it finds programs that offer extended learning opportunities such as weekend or evening courses, distance learning and credit for life experiences.

Launched last September, College Navigator is one of several resources the Department has developed to provide the public with clear and reliable information about federal financial aid and the college selection process. They are part of Secretary Margaret Spellings' plan to improve the U.S. higher education system and make it more accessible, affordable, accountable and user-friendly.

Earlier this year the Department unveiled another tool, the FAFSA4caster, which instantly calculates the federal financial aid that a student is likely to receive. The calculation can be completed at any time, helping families to plan for college earlier than during a student's senior year of high school, which was another goal in the secretary's action plan for higher education.

Since being launched in September, the College Navigator Web site has received 477,284 visits. For more information, visit http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/ and http://www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov.

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